Last week, the House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee voted unanimously (45-0) to advance legislation that would deliver $750 million in new funding for behavioral health and nutrition services at Community Health Centers (CHCs). The Committee’s action reflects the strong, sustained bipartisan support for health centers in Congress and the effective advocacy of CHCs, Primary Care Associations (PCAs), Health Center Controlled Networks (HCCNs), and National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC).
The new funding includes:
- $500 million to expand behavioral, mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services at CHCs ($250 million per year for Fiscal Year (FY) 2027 and FY28)
- $250 million for nutrition education and chronic disease prevention at CHCs ($125 million per year for FY27 and FY28)
The legislation, the Lower Cost, More Transparency Act (H.R. 9393), includes provisions from two previously introduced bills endorsed by NACHC: the Nutrition Education and Chronic Disease Prevention in Community Health Centers Act of 2026 (H.R. 9389) from Rep. Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and the Expanding Community Access to Health Services Act (H.R. 8201) from Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV).
Bringing Community Health Center Voices to Congress
This week’s Committee action is the culmination of months of advocacy by NACHC, PCAs, and CHCs.
Our engagement began in April, when the E&C Health Subcommittee held a hearing on a slate of bipartisan health care bills, including proposals to expand nutrition education and behavioral health services at CHCs.
Jamie Ulmer, President and CEO of Healthcare Network in southwest Florida, and a member of the NACHC Board of Directors, testified at the hearing on behalf of CHCs. In his opening remarks, Mr. Ulmer described how investments in nutrition would help his CHC reach, “families and prevent chronic diseases before it starts, not after it becomes costly and complex.” He described how his CHC has behavioral health, “embedded into our primary care and even our dental care… but too many patients are still waiting.”
Jamie’s testimony drew strong engagement from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, who sought frontline insight into the federal policies and investments needed to strengthen access to primary care nationwide.
Following the hearing, NACHC’s CEO, Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, wrote to the Committee calling for investments in both nutrition and behavioral health.
The Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee Advanced CHC Funding Legislation in June
On June 25th, the Health Subcommittee advanced by voice vote both Representative Lee’s bill on behavioral health and Representative Harshbarger’s bill on nutrition. The subcommittee deferred a final decision on funding levels for each priority until the full committee could consider the legislation. NACHC worked with PCAs and CHCs to highlight for Committee members how additional resources would improve access to care and to strengthen the bipartisan consensus and forward momentum for the bills.
During the markup, Rep. Harshbarger spoke about the need for investments in nutrition services at CHCs: “Health Centers are often the front door to our health care system for working families, rural residents, and underserved populations. CHCs already provide high-quality, cost-effective care to millions of Americans, but they cannot solve our chronic disease crisis without the tools and resources to address one of the root causes, which is poor nutrition.”
Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO) spoke about the impact of CHCs on expanding access to behavioral health care: “Community Health Centers have become leaders in integrating behavioral, mental health, and substance use disorder services into primary care.”
The Energy and Commerce Full Committee Advanced CHC Funding Legislation to the full House
Finally, on Monday, July 20th, Committee leadership announced a bipartisan agreement on additional CHC funding, including $500 million for behavioral health funding and $250 million for nutrition services over two years in the final version of the legislation.
Dr. Rhee immediately wrote to Committee leadership endorsing the legislation that provides the additional funding. “Enactment of these provisions will strengthen CHCs’ ability to prevent and manage chronic disease, expand access to mental health and substance use disorder services, and improve health outcomes for millions of patients nationwide,” wrote Dr. Rhee. “We look forward to working with you and your staff to secure swift passage of this important legislation.”
(NACHC letter to the committee ahead of the full committee markup strongly endorsing the bill) 26 7-20 NACHC Letter to E&C.pdf
The Committee went on to favorably report the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act to the full House by a unanimous vote of 45-0.
What Happens Next?
The Lower Costs, More Transparency Act passed the Energy and Commerce Committee but has provisions that are also in the jurisdiction of other important House Committees – the House Ways and Means Committee and the Education and Workforce Committee. All three Committees would have to agree on language before the full House would consider the legislation. NACHC will continue to engage Congressional leadership to gather more information about timing for a possible vote by the full House of Representatives.
NACHC is grateful for the advocacy from CHCs and PCAs that have built strong momentum behind the legislation, and we will continue to keep the field up to date about the latest developments.